Which way Ngirici? Woman Rep hints at exiting UDA

Embattled Kirinyaga Woman Representative Wangui Ngirici has hinted that she might ditch Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential campaign to focus on her own political agenda.

After weeks of a gradual falling-out with the DP’s camp, details are emerging about growing mistrust within the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and possible influence by top government officials, leading to the sidelining of Ms Ngirici.

The name of Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has been mentioned. Ms Ngirici and her husband Andrew Ngirici have been seen to be cozying up to PS Kibicho recently.

Did a truce between the Ngiricis and PS Kibicho trigger the dispute with UDA and the eventual sidelining of the woman representative, who gave sweat and money to campaign for DP Ruto?

Ms Ngirici’s departure from Dr Ruto’s side has been a long time coming, but on Sunday she gave the clearest indication yet that she was ditching UDA in a speech that suggested she might fly solo in her bid for the Kirinyaga governor’s seat.

Speaking at Kiamugumo Primary School, Ms Ngirici said she would only focus on her political ambitions.

It was a drastic U-turn for the woman representative who has been a vocal campaigner for DP Ruto’s presidential bid when she told Kirinyaga residents that she did not care whom they voted for in other seats as long as they voted for her.

“I have no problem with whomever you vote for. Those who want to vote for Ruto I have no problem, and those who want to vote for Raila can do so. But for the governor’s position I am asking for your vote,” she said.

Though the change in tune was drastic, it could have been predicted, especially given recent developments in DP Ruto’s camp that saw Governor Anne Waiguru decamp to UDA.

As far as Ms Ngirici is concerned, the DP’s decision to welcome Ms Waiguru to UDA came as a betrayal as she had invested a lot in popularising UDA.

It also complicates her bid for the governor’s seat as it means she will have to face her archrival at the nominations if she remains in UDA.

In fact, the defection of Ms Waiguru to UDA saw the embattled woman representative scale down her UDA engagements, fuelling speculation that she could be on her way out.

It is unclear if she will still be willing to battle it out for the UDA nomination ticket, but reports indicate she could jump to another party or go for the top county seat as an independent candidate.

Trouble for the woman rep started following a truce between PS Kibicho and the Ngiricis.

The Ngiricis and PS Kibicho had not been seeing eye to eye for a long time and their decision to bury the hatchet in September could have triggered the falling-out between Ms Ngirici and UDA.

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Insiders in the DP’s camp have intimated to the Nation that Ms Ngirici’s cozying up to PS Kibicho brought about “trust issues”. This was compounded by the fact that the DP and PS Kibicho, who is from Kirinyaga, also do not see eye to eye.

“It was a calculated risk bringing in Governor Waiguru. And you know the DP and Kibicho do not relate well. So Ngirici getting close to Kibicho resulted in trust issues and we needed a trustworthy point person to capture the Kirinyaga support and the mountain as well,” a strategist in UDA told the Nation.

Ms Ngrici is also said to have been trying to push for a direct nomination from UDA, something the DP has been against.

Governor Waiguru is keen to defend her seat on a UDA ticket.

This means that Ms Ngirici, one of the two most popular politicians in Kirinyaga, will have to give way to others in the party primaries or eventually leave the party altogether.

Governor Waiguru does not seem keen to give up her newly earned place by DP Ruto’s side and neither is Ms Ngirici making known her next move.

As it stands, it is a question of who will blink first.

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